Chapter 48: Truth is often sour

Once outside, I took a breather. Although I was in there for no longer than half an hour, it felt like an eternity. And I was tired. The sky was finally clear and I could see pale red tints here and there up in the sky but that also meant my time was almost up. Better get going.

I thought hard and went into the market once again. The street lights had painted the market colorful. It was amazing how a little light could change everything.

The town wasn't any busier but everything looked amazing. I went around poking my nose everywhere and discovered various foods and things. However, I wanted to see real-life bunny-humans. In other words, I had a fascination for anything related to bunnies.

Alas! I didn't encounter any. So I settled for some skewered meat by a street stand instead.

"How come everyone's so cheerful here?"

The middle-aged owner scratched his chin and gave me a grin. "You're not from here huh? You see this place is protected by the best holy knight of this country. And her royal highness governs this place. Wouldn't you be surprised if it didn't have a mood like this?"

No….I didn't care for theatrics. I finished my meal, paid him and roamed a little more until it became a little less noisy. Even now the city was booming with activity. Well it was a city after all. I couldn't just compare it to a measly village and think that'll cut it. It was well past the evening but it wasn't midnight yet. I should head back to the inn.

On my way to the inn, I bumped into a boy, or rather the boy bumped into me. He was small, a child maybe. His clothes were tattered and he was dirty. But his smile was blinding.

He got up gave a bow and was about to run.

My bag felt lighter. Which meant only one thing. "Hold it, buster. I'd need my pouch back." I didn't just hate pickpockets, I despised them.

The kid's smile started to falter and he made a break for it. I caught him regardless. He wasn't very fast. He was weak. Actually on second thought, he looked skinnier than, a man starved for a week.

He gave up and returned the pouch. His eyes glinted. He wanted to cry, but he didn't. He was acting tough.

"Come with me." I dragged him around. He wasn't listening to me one bit, so that was the only choice.

"Please don't hand me over to them. I have a little sister," he pleaded. I didn't listen. "Please!"

This time he was really crying and making a scene. I thought the passersby would make a commotion but no one really said anything. On that note, I didn't think they even cared. Maybe kids like this were plenty in number.

Halfway through, the kid gave up and sobbed. He even bit me. I didn't really care. I had my fair share of trouble with kids. My four siblings never really gave me much of a choice in life and they were more of a chore than this brat.

When we reached the destination, the kid looked at me with a puzzled expression. He didn't really understand why I'd brought him here.

"Old man, two sticks," I said.

The owner looked at the boy and then at me. "I was about to leave. Now I have to unpack again." He was grumpier than a stray cat.

"Sorry about that." I scratched my head and chuckled.

I took a seat and made the kid sit down. He had only one question. "Why?"

"No reason really. I thought you could use some food. That was all."

He didn't say anything. I didn't either. The old man brought the meat and I paid him up front.

"Eat them, throw them away, or carry them home: it's all up to you." I grinned. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go." I didn't want to roam around in an unknown town after midnight, anyway.

"Th-thank you." The kid bowed his head and ran before I could even start walking.

My grin lasted. For some reason it actually felt good.

"You shouldn't have done that. He'll grow up to be expectant of people being like you," the old man said. "The world isn't kind to kids like that." Somehow those words felt real, too real.

"Are there lots of kids like that here?" I knew knowing would only weigh on my conscience but not knowing would weight more on it.

"There's a slum downtown. It's small but it's there. Kids who lost their parents, or people who can't do jobs, you know what I mean."

I didn't really want to think about all that. I'd be leaving this world the first chance I got, so thinking about this world's problem was not something that I wanted. And yet, I couldn't really forget it either.

"Thanks for the warning. I'll keep that in mind."

I headed back to the inn and rented a room. The ID was very effective. I was portrayed as an adventurer and that was probably the only truth in it apart from my name. I didn't mean anything bad by it though.

"Is there a place here where I could take a shower?" Before going up to my room, I asked the receptionist the daring question which was bugging me for a while now.

Sister Ashlyne had meant something else, but it made me more self-conscious about my odor.

The receptionist was kind enough to point me in the right direction. "You could try the commoner's bath. It's right up the alley."

"Okay, thank you."

I first checked my room and made sure everything was as advertised: it was. It was pretty much empty though.

The upper alley- was definitely up. I had to run to actually make it. I'd broken a lot of sweat on my way. The entry fee was mundane at a mere one bronze but the quality of the bath was even more mundane. For once there was no bath. And what little water they had, were piled on buckets and they didn't even have soap. Talk about a melodrama! But since I paid for it, I had to use it. I showered for better or for worse and came out fresh. Next time I see a pond, I'm gonna jump in. I don't care if mermaids live there or not!

It was past midnight when I got back at the inn. So I ate my late-night dinner before heading off to bed. It was okay and cold. Bread and soup was never my thing.

The room was compact and lacked almost everything apart from a bed. Actually, there was nothing but a bed, a mattress, and a small table. I sighed. I shouldn't have expected much. I already knew it'd be like this. After all, it wasn't a five-star hotel or anything.

The door had a wooden lock mechanism; faulty but effective. I took off my armor and went under. The mattress was anything but soft. But since I've been sleeping on just a sheet for the last couple of days, it was heaven. I fell asleep almost immediately.

"Take her to school? Why should I?"

"She's saying, some students are bothering her. You're the big brother, at least take some responsibility," my mother said.

"What a drag!" I sighed.

I woke up. It felt like a never-ending nightmare had overtaken my sanity. My head hurt.

I got inside my armor, picked up my things, and left the room. If everything was alright I'd be able to gather some information today. Yesterday had gone out in a flash and I was distracted by my fantasies but today was different. I was different.

I needed at least some info.

I washed my face and had breakfast. More bread. It was dreadful.

I came outside. It was bright, too bright. My head still hurt. I didn't want to move. An after effect of all that? I shouldn't have stayed awake so late.

I didn't have an answer but I knew my body had gone through a lot. I started walking around aimlessly. The sky was clear. There wasn't a trace of yesterday's rain. Where do I even begin?